Plaza las Pioneras: An urban feminist space and the politics of the commons

Levy, Charmain; Celiberti, Lilian

Author(s)

Levy, Charmain
Celiberti, Lilian

Editor(s)

Satija, Shivani

Publication date

2024-09-19

Document type

Journal article

Language

English

Description

<html> <head> <title></title> </head> <body> <p>There are very few feminist urban public spaces in the world and even fewer urban feminist commons. This paper focuses on the initiative and functioning of the Plaza las Pioneras in Montevideo, Uruguay. The Plaza is an innovative feminist public space and urban commons experience that opened in 2020 as an effort by the city’s Urban Development and Gender Equity divisions to contribute to a more feminist city. The authors describe the specific context and history of both the urban space and its actors that led to political opportunities but also agency and sociopolitical dynamics on the part of different actors. Its inception and foundation are considered feminist by its stakeholders both in terms of process and finality. The article details and analyses how the Plaza las Pioneras provides fertile ground for feminist claims and initiatives while enabling women to appropriate the space and emerge as actors and beneficiaries of innovation, creation, and collective self-management of urban commons. Since its inauguration, the Plaza has become a community territory as a space, a resource, and meeting grounds. It is used by the feminist collectives that make up its Assembly as a way to promote solidarity, care, and commoning not only among its members but also with other civil society groups and social movements while working with the municipality to promote feminist urban initiatives.</p> </body> </html>

EISSN

1364-9221

ISBN

1355-2074

Collections

Journal articles